Santa
Clara County
Biographies
REV. THOMAS J. F. HUDSON
As a zealous worker in the cause of the church, Father Hudson has few equals and no superiors, and during the forty years of his active service in church work in Gilroy. Santa Clara county, Cal, he has been instrumental not only in establishing the St. Mary's Catholic parish in Gilroy, but through his influence the present fine church edifice was erected and a fine parochial school established, and through his efforts many have been brought into the folds of the church. A native of Dublin, Ireland, also the birthplace of his parents, James and Anne (Hutton) Hudson, Father Hudson was born February 12, 1829, and at the age of three years he was deprived by death of his father, who was a wine merchant during his life. The grandfather, George Hudson, a native of County Louth, Ireland, was a brewer and was a United Irishman in the rebellion of 1798 against the home government. The mother of Father Hudson died in Dublin, May 22, 1882, at about the age of seventy-eight years, and she and her husband had two children, Thomas J. F. and Anne.
The early education of Father Hudson was received by faithful attendance in the public schools of Dublin, after which he entered the All Hallouss College of the same city, completing an ecclesiastical course from that institution in 1864, which proved to be a most eventful years for him. June 26 of that year, he was ordained and in a few weeks took passage for America, landing in New York City August 16. August 27 he set sail for San Francisco via the Nicaragua route and arrived in that city in September following. He proceeded south to Los Angeles, the home of Bishop Thaddeus Amat, and was at once assigned to the parish of Gilroy, which was then located at St. Martin's.
A brief outline of the history of St. Mary's Catholic Church will not be inappropriate in this place and is herewith appended. This church was founded in the year 1852 by Martin Murphy, who erected, at his own expense, a little church about five miles from Gilroy at a place called Martinsville. This church was dedicated to St. Martin and stood about four miles from the Monterey road, on a plot of about five acres, which the donor donated to the church. The edifice was well located on an elevation at the base of the foothills, occupied a space 40x25 feet, and was constructed under the supervision of Father De Vos, its first pastor. The land still belongs to the church, but is now occupied by Dan Murphy, the son of the donor. Prior to 1856, the district of Gilroy was under the jurisdiction of San Jose and from that year until 1864, under that of San Juan Bautista, but during the latter year it was formed into a separate parish and the present church, 60x63 feet, was built in Gilroy. This change was brought about by the combined efforts of Mr. James Dunn and his wife of San Felipe, its main benefactors, and by those of Lawrence O'Toole and Father Hudson, and the latter was its first and only pastor, having officiated as such since the opening of the church, December 17, 1866. The parochial school was added by him in 1871 and has been successfully conducted ever since. With the exception of a five months' vacation in 1886, Father Hudson has continued his labors in this locality zealously, uninterruptedly and unceasingly, and great credit is due him for the faithful and conscientious manner in which he has fulfilled his duties, not only as pastor but as chief friend and adviser of all throughout his parish.
Transcribed
9-14-15 Marilyn R. Pankey.
ญญญญSource: History
of the State of California & Biographical Record of Coast Counties,
California by Prof. J. M. Guinn, A. M., Page 766. The Chapman Publishing
Co., Chicago, 1904.
ฉ 2015 Marilyn R. Pankey.